“Should I mention my side hustle during the interview?” - A common question asked by many job seekers deciding how to leverage each piece of their experience when talking to a hiring manager. Truth is, the main thing on your mind when walking into an interview is how to “wow” the company with your professional skills, while translating all of the words on your resume into why you should be the leading candidate for this role. Most of the information listed on resumes is everything that person accomplished at a 9-5 job, but, sometimes, the expertise needed most for your next big break is found in your side gig. To avoid discounting these talents, here is how to sell your side hustle and successfully connect it to the bigger picture.

Despite your hesitancy to mention this, your side hustle ultimately makes you more marketable to the hiring manager. Having a side gig is no longer seen solely as an employment gap filler or a part-time job to make some extra cash. Rather, this entrepreneurial spirit is seen and sought after by companies now more than ever. Diving into this project or start-up with the interviewer automatically shows them many things about you, specifically your passion, your time management and your ability to take on new tasks - All qualities a manager wants to see as a part of their team.

In order to properly introduce this subject during your interview, be strategic about your approach. While having the talent to be able to manage your project on the side is very admirable, you don’t want the hiring manager to assume you have too much on your plate. Position your side gig to show your true passion, and prepare success stories around it - The skills you have developed, new platforms you have mastered or the number of consumers you have reached thus far are all examples of ways you’ve grown professionally. From there, show how these areas have or will affect your performance in your primary job and will set you and the company up for success in this new role.

Lastly, as you are discussing your side gig during the interview, be sure you are hitting key points that are relevant to the job description. For example, if you are applying for a financial role but your side hustle is managing a fashion blog, pick out daily tasks and responsibilities of each that nicely coincide with one another. You could discuss the financial piece of the partnerships you have through the blog or any funding you were able to raise and manage through this process - Any relatable aspect is great to identify, and it shows the employer your comprehension of the industry in more ways than one.

Laurie Knafo

Laurie Knafo is Regional Vice President for SNI. Her 30+ years in the recruiting business enable her to bring insightful counsel to companies and candidates looking to make the most out of their staffing relationships.

Full biography

Laurie Knafo is Regional Vice President for SNI. Her 30+ years in the recruiting business enable her to bring insightful counsel to companies and candidates looking to make the most out of their staffing relationships.

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20 comments on article "How to Sell Your Side Hustle in Your Next Interview"

The uplifting news about beginning a side hustle online is there's no age remove, no business reference check, no landing dressed for a position meet, no requesting a raise, no working around individuals, no getting dressed for work.

I am going to attend an interview next week. I have searched for many articles in some websites for how to face the interview then I found this article. The tips which you have mentioned are really helpful for people like me. I would like to see more from you.